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‘Final straw’ for dentist

A dentist in South Wales is being forced to refuse NHS patients following a delay in checking a locum’s criminal records.

Anna Borg, a dentist at a practice in Bridgend, had a child and needed maternity cover for her practice.

She hired a locum, Sheikhuna Madhduti, who had UK qualifications and previously worked at another practice in West Sussex.

He was told he could not treat NHS patients until the Bridgend Local Health Board (LHB) ran a Criminal Records Bureau check. This means the practice cannot treat NHS patients for six weeks.An angry Borg said: ‘I think they should speed up the process because it’s in the public’s interest.’

She added that this problem was the ‘final straw’ and feels that she is being forced out of the NHS early after refusing to sign the new contract back in March.

'Because the NHS contract they offered me was so bad, I had to decide to go private from 1 July, or face possible bankruptcy, which I feel very angry about. This problem has effectively forced out my NHS patients five weeks early,’ she commented. Bridgend LHB is standing by its decision, and a spokesman said that emergency cover has been arranged at other surgeries to cover the situation.

He added: ‘Welsh Assembly Government regulations state that any dentist who wishes to perform primary dental services in Wales must be on a local performers list.

‘Before a dentist can be added to the performers list a number of professional and criminal checks must be completed to ensure the safe and appropriate care of the public.

‘The dentist proposed is not on a performer list and consequently cannot practice in Wales until all appropriate checks are undertaken. These checks, necessarily, take up to six weeks.’